Friday, 18 November 2011

Forgotten Book - Plain Murder

I so much enjoyed
reading the re-discovered crime novel by CS Forester, The Pursued, that I
decided to have another look at his second novel of psychological suspense,
Plain Murder, which was first published in 1930. It is a book which, like his
debut, Payment Deferred, has tended to be forgotten by crime fans – but it
certainly does not deserve such a fate.

I first read Plain
Murder as a teenager, shortly after being blown away by the brilliance, as it
seemed to me, of Payment Deferred. Perhaps inevitably, it suffered by
comparison with its remarkable predecessor, and I have said as much once or
twice in articles I've written over the years. But I'm now tempted to revise my
opinion to some extent. The finale of this story is not quite as dazzling and
original, but the book as a whole is short, snappy and highly enjoyable.

Three advertising men
have been discovered by their boss in a minor fiddle. They face the sack, and
the poverty that dismissal for gross misconduct almost always meant in 1930.
The ringleader, Charlie Morris, persuades his colleagues to help him kill the
boss, and they duly get away with murder. However, the crime feeds Morris'
egotism, and he finds himself on a downward spiral of homicide.

One of the striking
features of the book is the well-realised office setting. I can think of very
few office-based mysteries written before 1930 – any suggestions? Certainly,
Forester anticipated Dorothy L Sayers, who published Murder Must Advertise
three years later. Her enjoyable novel is much better known than Forester's, but
I do wonder if his book to some degree inspired hers.

8 comments:

Martin: I believe Sayers's office novel, Murder Must Advertise was inspired by her own work in an advertising agency. She might have read the Forrester novel, but it is her own experience, I believe, that makes her novel so entertaining.

I've looked everywhere for PLAIN MURDER and can never find it. It's been on my wish-list for years. As for office-based mysteries, I could be wrong, but I think "the office" as we know it (a mixed-gender group of administrators and clerical workers supporting a business or industry that often takes place elsewhere) only evolved during the 1920s because of advances in technology (telephone, telegraph, typewriter, even carbon paper), reliable sources of electricity, and expanded roles for women. I'm guessing that's why there were few office-centered mysteries prior to 1930. Certainly MURDER MUST ADVERTISE is the gold standard (I especially love the woman who has to cover up her arms and neck when a very religious client comes into the office).

About Me

I am a British crime writer, and the author of two series, set in Liverpool and the Lake District, as well as winner of the CWA Short Story Dagger for 'The Bookbinder's Apprentice'. My latest Lakes book is The Frozen Shroud, while my first Harry Devlin novel, All the Lonely People,has just been republished as an Arcturus Crime Classic. The Devlin series is now available in ebook and print on demand editions, with a range of special features. My other books include Dancing for the Hangman, an original novel about Dr Crippen.